The benefit to an active setup isn't just cleaner power (or phase adjustment/time alignment of each speaker), it's also the ability to adjust your xover for your particular use.

The setup I'm putting my truck has SEAS Prestige separates - less than $220 for the 4 speakers, and they're on par with $1000 component sets... By running active, I can set the x-overs for these particular speakers. If I were to swap out the tweeters for ScanSpeak tweeters, (which have a diff freq curve), I can easily tune/adjust my x-overs to fit those...


EDIT: not to discourage you from going active. The sound quality difference is astounding. When I switched from an Audison 2-chan to my current Audison 4-chan, the difference in sound field was phenomenal. I can't imagine going back to a passive setup... Just encourage you to take it one step further, and go full active. The active title comes from having a digital (or analog if it's on your amp) adjustable xover that is actively engaging your xover points. What you're suggesting is a quasi-active setup. And while it will indeed sound better than full-passive, I would like to see it encourage you to go fully active. Looking at that as a possibility - I suggest when/if you do go the quasi-active route, install the 2nd run of speaker wire for each door with enough extra that it can reach your woofer or tweeter unbroken (or you'll have to make the run again if/when you decide to go fully active later).

 

I am running an Alpine 9883 and have no complaints - I know some people have personal preferance - are there better units out there - sure - are the Pioneers better - I don't know. I know that I am not complaining especially for what the cost was.

Remember we drive a convertable and the sound is never going to be perfect. It takes a lot better equipment to get decent sound in our cars.

 

the majority of IASCA world champ winners are either running Alpine or Eclipse as their source....

Seas Lotus distributor was running Alpine F1 and regular Alpine line on their cars when they won the top places.... I know them personally and sold them the Alpines...

EBinVA: the weakest links in your setup are actually the Amps and the speakers. I don't know what u listen to most of the time, but if u r looking into SQ, the iPod has to go. iPod's good for day to day music feed, but definitely not SQ

PDX are good for space restricted setups, but they really lack in SQ. Go for Class A/B or Class A amps around $1k that are either made in Europe or US

Spaker wise, it depends on what u listen to most of the time

 

My ipod is filled with Apple Lossless files, which are indistinguishable from the cd from which they came. The ipod itself as a source is not the problem, it's what you choose to fill it with.

 

if your equipment is good enough, you'll still hear the difference between Apple Lossless and the Original CD However, it is very difficult to hear the difference with most mainstream commercial music since they are badly recorded in the first place. Try some audiophile level Jazz and Classic recordings and you'll notice the difference right away(if equipment is good enough)~

 

^^Live recordings often show the difference as well. Blues and a lot of classic rock (think Pink Floyd) have noticeable differences as well.

Even in your convertible.

 

To add to what he said:


The catch there is that Alpine F1 stuff wasn't built by Alpine - it was built by SEAS.

SEAS is in a whole different realm. Just because Alpine commissioned SEAS to produce the F1 line does NOT mean that Alpine's run-of-the-mill stuff is actually quality. It's all about marketing. And I have this rule:

Any company that feels the need to spiff up their image by over-exaggerating what their products are capable of is not a company I'll buy from. i.e. claiming a set of speakers is 240W capable but the set is really only 40WRMS. I can run 1000W to those components - they'll last, not long, but they'll last. Does that mean that they're really 1000W max components? Not at all. But, the marketing hype is exactly what sells those crap components.


IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT HOW MUCH POWER YOU RUN.


It's not. The stereo in my S pumps maybe, MAYBE 650-700W. MAYBE. Approx 500W to the Sub, 50-60Wx4 to the doors. But I guarantee it sounds better (and is louder) than any "3000W" Walmart/Crutchfield-esque builds.

Granted, the build in my truck is going to have 80Wx4 to the doors and 1000Wx2 to the subs - but that's a bit different. The speakers in the doors of my truck are of a much higher quality than those in the car and that 80W will blow away the 50-60W in my car.

Point is... go for the quality, not quantity, of power. SPL follows SQ because good SQ does require lots of clean power - so your build will get loud (and sound good doing it). SQ does not necessarily follow gobs of power, though. It has to be clean power, with a clean signal, to quality speakers.

 

I'm talking about the HU and the processors etc. not the speakers, lol~ Being Seas distributor, there's no reason for them to run anything else but Seas speakers, hehe (btw, I love Seas Lotus Ref, but I just don't see the justification to put them into S2k due to cabin noise )

And about the spaker wattage issue, everyone does that~ hehe...
At least Alpine has always been posting the nominal power, unlike some other companies that make me dig, dig, and dig for the actual But I agree, the off the mill Alpine speakers don't cut it in terms of SQ and usually don't last long

NS, which Audison are you running? My VRx2.250.2 is eagerly waiting to be transplated into my future S2k

 

LRx 4.300. Switched to an active setup. Before that I had an LRx 2.150.

It's hard for me to justify the price difference between the LRx and VRx lineup for the S due to cabin noise.

I've heard from a reliable source (designs/builds/sells amps) that Alpine used to weight their amps with lead blocks to make them feel heavier...

 

[QUOTE=Claus,Feb 17 2009, 08:17 PM]if your equipment is good enough, you'll still hear the difference between Apple Lossless and the Original CD